Research technician position at the University of Idaho Kimberly Research and Extension Center in Twin Falls county Idaho. Supervising/ managing summer technicians, insect identification, monitoring organisms, plant identification, data analysis using R and R studio, manual labor, pesticide application, performing literature review, troubleshooting projects, creating protocols, assisting the public with entomology related questions, assisting graduate students, preparing publication level figures using R and photoshop, and preparing manuscripts. Working in a farm setting including applying pesticide treatments, using full-face respirators and spray suits, forklift operation, performing off-site field work, and planting/harvesting potato and sugar beet fields. Presentation of research to industry collaborators and at conferences.

On-call rural firefighter.

Conducting conservation status and range assessments for the Idaho State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), in particular on arthropods. Using knowledge of entomology, the state of Idaho, as well as available resources in the literature and online to inform range and conservation status adjustments.Led seminar on entomology to Idaho Fish and Game Salmon regional office

Identifying alpine insects to species level, using advanced taxonomic techniques. Developing visual identification guides and keys for insect identification. Reviewing literature to find resources for fine-taxonomic scale insect identification. Consulting with experts about identification to species for various insect taxa. Acting as advisor/consultant on entomology.

Part 1; Salmon regional office, Peregrine Falcon and Alpine Insect Technician. April- June 2021Carried out surveys for Peregrine falcon breeding and behavior in Idaho Fish and Game’s Salmon region. Used 4wd vehicles and GIS technology to locate Peregrine falcon nests in the field. Documented presence and behavior of breeding falcons. Additionally responsible for identifying insects collected from alpine surveys in the Salmon region. Insects were identified to as fine a taxonomic resolution as possible, often to genus and species. Assisted on a wide variety of other projects and activities as well, including checking in harvested wolves, surveying sage grouse leks, assisting conservation officers, helping install an outdoor irrigation system, and collecting samples from bighorn sheep carcasses. Part 2; Mackay Fish Hatchery, Bumblebee technician, July 2021 Traveled all over east-central Idaho conducting surveys to document bumblebee diversity, as well as flowering plant resources in the vicinity of bee surveys. Required identification and photo documentation of plants and bees, field data entry, and performing work under a variety of weather conditions. Was often required to camp in the field. Additionally helped with some basic fish hatchery chores, such as cleaning fish runs and feeding fish. Part 3; Boundary-Smith Creek Wildlife Management area (WMA), Bumblebee and Vegetation technician, August 2021Performed bumblebee surveys at planted plots at the WMA, as well as performed targeted bumblebee surveys for Western Bumblebees, a threatened species, both on and off the WMA. Identified bee species from pictures taken by other technicians and consolidated and entered paperwork related to bee surveys. Performed vegetation surveys along transects, identifying all plant species every three meters, as well as measuring and counting them. Also assisted with some other activities at the WMA, such as putting up electric fencing.

Performing data analysis on population genetic and physiological data. Using Linux and R intensively to analyze data. Communicating with collaborators from the US and overseas.

M.S. research assistant in Sean Schoville and Christelle Guedot's labs working on studying Spotted-winged Drosophila (SWD; Drosophila suzukii), a significant invasive agricultural pest, cold tolerance evolution. Collecting flies from soft-fruit crop fields in both Wisconsin and California, as well as connecting with collaborators to obtain flies from other regions. Started and maintained colonies of SWD from wild-caught specimens. Conducted cold tolerance assays on laboratory specimens. Performed Pooled-sequencing on samples of SWD from around the world to obtain genome-wide genetic diversity data. Used bioinformatics (Mostly using R and Linux) to analyze pool-seq data.

Working for UW-Madison Arboretum. Identifying and curating parasitoids of monarch butterflies collected by a citizen science monitoring program. Involves identifying monarch parasitoids to species. In addition, involved pinning, labelling and organizing specimens, as well as performing data entry to create digital records. Required to correspond with volunteers from around the US.

Working in Phil Townsend's laboratory in the department of forestry. Grinding, processing, and measuring vegetative samples collected in the field. Required to carefully interpret and enter data generated on spectrophotometers, maintain cleanliness of lab space, and maintain a high level of organization of samples and data.

Working for Dr. Christelle Guedot's fruit crop entomology lab. Assisting in and conducting surveys for insect pests of fruit crops in Wisconsin. Working in a variety of environs from cherry orchards to wild cranberry bogs, was required to set traps and record data for the presence of insect pests. Trapped and started colonies of Spotted-winged Drosophila, and maintained records of data from flies collected in field. Also assisted in collected live wasps for bioassays using an aerial net. Other insects surveyed include Brown Marmorated Stinkbug, Cranberry fruitworm, and Spaganothis fruitworm. Required to hike long distances in mosquito-infested swamps in Wisconsin to collect and set fruitworm traps. Required to identify hymenopteran parasitoids collected in the field on traps.

Working as a grader, tutor and supplemental instruction leader for Abeer Hasan’s biostatistics course. Extensive time spend grading assignments generated in R. Also involved in organizing and instructing a supplemental instruction course for statistics students.

Working in Dr. Allison O'Dowd's aquatic ecology lab. Responsibilities included using dichotomous keys to identify aquatic insects to family, genus, and species. Required to rigorously follow data entry procedures, maintain organization, and perform accurate identification of insects without supervision. Additionally responsible for checking errors of other student workers.

Research internship at the AMNH (NYC), studying the developmental origins of mosquito mouthparts. Skills used include PCR, RNAi delivery, in situ reactions, imaginal disc dissection in Drosophila and Culex, antibody staining, confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.